An interesting new fantasy setting from Saara El-Arifi.

The book is set in a world where the elves are at war with each other and the fae have not been seen for millennium and the humans are stories of legend.

We follow Yeeran who is a warrior in the army. At the start of the story she makes a catastrophic mistake and is exiled. Her sister, a diviner, follows her into exile, where the two discover more to the world that they live in.

The world building and magic in this book were so interesting and exciting to read. I cannot wait to see how the events in this book are expanded into the second book.

I found myself so absorbed in the characters and relationships that even when the plot felt at times predictable, it didn't matter because the foundation of the book is its characters. Saara writes honestly about the complexity of love (in all its forms) and doesn't shy away for depicting the ugly in tandem with the magical. Can't wait for the sequel!

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is the first book in a sapphic fantasy series.
 
The story is set in the world of fae and elven and you get to see a lot of court politics and intrigues. I really like fae stories and this book definitely is a new take on it, and I really appreciated it. However, the plot is very slow burn, and some parts were stretched out too much, so it was almost boring. Only later the fae murder mystery and discovery of the true history of the world added a bit of thrill.
 
Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army, and she protects her sister who is a diviner at all costs, and both just want a better life. But they are exiled from the eleven lands and encounter the fae court. This set up the story very nicely and the characters and world building were done very well and vivid. The fae part with the underground activities, animal companions and the tree of souls were definitely my favorite aspects of the world.
 
Overall, Faebound is a solid fantasy book that would have been spiced up a little more. 3 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why but this book was a little disappointing despite having all the tropes that I would usually enjoy.
The best things about this book were undoubtedly the queer-normative world as well as the rest of the world building; the magic, the structure of the different societies depicted, the cultural elements were amazing and were what made me want to keep going.
Although most of the characters were loveable enough, I never really felt emotionally involved in this story and in the characters’ lives. Whether it was the romance parts or the individual journeys, it all left me a bit cold and felt too predictable. Some scenes felt too robotic in the description or their feelings or the dialogues, which prevented me to connect with what was happening on the page.
The audiobook helped a little with that issue, but the way the narrator was doing Lethe’s voice made her seem even more annoying than she was. It nonetheless gave more life to the story when I became a bit bored.
One thing I really loved, however, was the relationship between the Obeahs and the faes/elves. Pila and Yeeran’s bond was the cutest thing and probably the reason why I might give the second book a try.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this book for an honest review.

Faebound follows Yeeran an Elven warrior who has known nothing but war her whole life. Yeeran's sister Lettle is training to be a Diviner seeking prophecies.

After a fatal mistake Yeeran is exiled and Lettle follows after her to bring her back to safety from the terrifying lands beyond their borders. It is here they both encounter the Fae court. The Fae haven't been seen for a millennium but Lettle and Yeeran are taken to their world as prisoners and here they have to figure out how to escape back to their lands.

I must admit I started this book and I was not sure if it was for me. However the more I got into the story the more invested I got into the world and the magic system.

I found the story and plot to be very unique and I became invested in the characters and their differing storylines throughout the book. I felt that the plot was very well crafted with lots of different twists throughout.

This story is told in various different perspectives the majority being Yeeran and Lettle's perspectives. I enjoyed both narratives and felt this added to the story.

Overall a book I would recommend for lovers of fantasy and Fae worlds. I'm hoping that there is going to be a sequel following a cliffhanger ending.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC

Faebound was written really well, I liked the author's style and the story concept was good. It was a great adult fantasy and the blurb ticked all the boxes. The deliverance was a bit off the mark as it was very patchy in places with it's pacing, it was almost like a slow burn. The characters and romance however did make up for the pacing and over all was an enjoyable read

I’m really struggling to rate this one, because on paper it sounds great: adult fantasy with warring factions, magic, prophecies, elves, Fae and romance!
But unfortunately I felt maybe it was trying to be too much all at once. For such an exciting and action packed premise, it was just slow and tedious. I found that the dialogue felt clunky and emotionless, the characters lacked depth, the romance between Yeeran and Furi felt unnecessary and forced and the characters acted much younger then they were meant to be- it was easier to believe they were late teens/early 20’s with the way they acted and interacted with their world, so it threw me every time I remembered they’re meant to be 28-34ish.
I did however like Rayan and Lettle 👌

3.75 Rounded to 4 Stars

I enjoyed this book but it did take a little bit for me to get into it but when I did it was fantastic.
The world building is great and I felt that the author was really descriptive when explaining things. The characters were well developed and I found them to have a good depth to them. I liked that each character had their own secrets.
I felt that the plot did start off a little slow but it did pick up but unfortunately it was pretty predictable. I’d love to have more twists and turns.
I enjoyed the authors writing style and felt it had a nice flow throughout the book and love how the author wove such a beautiful fantasy.
I’m really looking forward to the next book and seeing where it goes.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled a bit with the pacing of this, unfortunately, but overall i felt like it was a good book. I enjoyed the storyline, but the characters could have been a little less one dimensional perhaps? Also very aware that this is the first book in a series so sometimes you need characters like that in order to see the growth in them over the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishes for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

This is a rough book. There is a lot of hunting and animal cruelty, and it was pretty awful. I'd say the first half is mostly about hunting.

Lettle and Yeeran are both deeply unlikeable and not in a fun way. Yeeran enters paradise and immediately thinks about how to use it and take it for herself, and randomly <spoiler> declares herself in love with Furi even though they really only bang one or two times and she was super into fascist Salawa and thought about her the whole book? </spoiler>. Lettle is the most contradictory character ever. She hates war and violence but murders animals and plays with their intestines, and also thinks it's probably okay to kill an entire species to get what she wants? She's incredibly whiny and gets all pissy when Yeeran says she might need to leave for a bit to broker a peace treaty because she doesn't want to be "left again".

The Rayan reveal was really out of left field, and had no indications whatsoever. Not to mention the whole "king fighting for what's right" thing, but surely Crescent and its people are just as much victims of the war as these guys? Maybe even more so because they had a crazy tyrant rule them? How many times do these characters need to learn the meaning of empathy?

Komi was a really crappily written character and <spoiler> his death was so stupid. You guys don't want to like interrogate him at all? Gather any information? No? Just anticlimactically kill him? Okay. </spoiler>.

This whole book was a real slog and left me with no real interest in any more books in the series. If you're desperate for a really bloody book with unlikeable characters and annoying plot points, pick this up. Otherwise, I'd give it a pass.

Two stars because I do think the author's writing has potential, I just think this story doesn't.

This book was everything. I loved every word of it. I will always always love a book where someone has a connection with an animal companion, but I also liked the way they explored how that bond made them see animals differently, how the fae wouldn’t eat animals because they saw them as creatures worthy of life.

I loved the divided loyalties in this book. How the different characters felt about the war. Yeeran the soldier who’s loyalty is to her leader and former lover. Her sister, Lettle who sees the war in a very different way. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book and how this effects the story.

I have so many questions about the humans and whether they’re really as dead as the characters in the story believe. I can’t wait to see how the prophecies turn out. I’m just so excited for the next book, there’s so much potential for this series and I really, really can’t wait.

I really enjoyed this read and found it to be a captivating fantasy debut that seamlessly weaves together elements of magic, mystery, and adventure.

The writing style is enchanting, drawing readers into the landscapes and intricate political dynamics of the fae realm. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own motivations and secrets that add depth to the narrative.

What sets this book apart, is its exploration of themes such as identity, belonging, and the consequences of choice. As Lira grapples with her newfound abilities and the responsibilities they bring her, she must confront her own prejudices and preconceptions about the fae and their world.

Overall, "Faebound" is a spellbinding tale that will appeal to fans of fantasy and coming-of-age stories alike. With its engaging plot, vivid imagery, and thought-provoking themes, it marks Saara El-Arifi as a talented new voice in the genre, and I'll be promoting her other novels up my TBR list.

What a cover! So that's the first hurdle, I want to read read it.

But did it live up to my high expectations? Not quite. I should say I have tried one other book by the author and I really struggled with it. This was a much more accessible book, the pace was better and the language definitely young adult. The characters were likeable, if not predictable. I didn't fall for any of them or feel overly invested in their fates. They were very run of the mill. Thus I wasn't really surprised by any of their actions and at times I found them a bit shallow.

The plot was really predictable. The whole being bound thing seems to be theme of the month and I've seen over authors do this and do it better. It's a shame this comes out after a very prominent book which also had the bound idea and did it really well.
The world building was intriguing but not well developed and could have been made more of.

I think overall I was just a little underwhelmed. The characters were superficial and a bit childish, especially Lettle. There was a random sex scene 3/4 way in which was a bit out of the blue, there had been a build up but then suddenly everyone is having sex in the dark field.
I really want to live this so I could buy that lovely special edition, but alas I've just saved £30

DNF @55% - I hadn’t picked it back up in almost 2 months, I may come back to it at some point but unlikely.

One of the things I did really like & wish I knew more about is the magic system, Saara always comes up with cool magic systems. One of her other strengths which really came through in this book was her settings/world building, I can always vividly picture the settings, they’re always beautifully unique!

I don’t know specifically what went wrong with this one for me, it was a combination of a lot of things I guess. The characters felt one dimensional, at over halfway through there didn’t seem to be a plot & romance was shoehorned to the detriment of the book. The writing was fine, but it really felt like this book had been written because the author was told romantasy is what is selling right now rather than this is the book that was supposed to be written.

I’ve read Saara’s other books & have absolutely loved them! Both were in my top books of that year, so I am particularly upset that this one didn’t land for me.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is a captivating blend of romance and fantasy, following the journey of Yeeran, a disgraced colonel in the elf army who finds herself exiled and searching for redemption. Her quest leads her into the clutches of the Fae, mythical beings believed to exist only in fairytales. Trapped in a fae realm alongside her sister and captain, Yeeran must navigate a treacherous landscape while uncovering the hidden truths behind the wars she has fought for so long.

One aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the rich lore surrounding the three Gods and the creation of the elves, fae, and humans. This intricate world-building added depth to the story and kept me thoroughly engaged throughout.

I also admired Lettle's character for her unwavering strength in the face of adversity, particularly as a representation of disability. Her fiery spirit and moments of humour provided a refreshing contrast to the challenges she faced.

However, while I found the world-building and character development compelling, I did feel that the storyline itself was somewhat predictable. Many of the twists and turns were foreshadowed, diminishing the element of surprise for me as a reader.

Overall, it offers an immersive and entertaining read, filled with fascinating mythology and strong character representation, despite its somewhat foreseeable plot twists.

3.5/5.

Saara El-Arifi can write excellent fantasy and this one is not up to what i expected as it seemed a bit confusing and a sort of prequel to what will come, or so I hope.
An intriguing blurb and fascinating elements but a the world building would need some more details and the characters some more layer.
That said it's entertaining and I want to read the next in this series
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperVoyager for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

I have chosen to DNF as this wasnt for me. Oh what i read however was written really well and without a shadow of doubt will be very popular with the majority. I found it very hard to pick up and want to read and struggled to connect with the characters.

I may pick it up at a later time and try again- maybe try it with audio instead!

This book had me hooked from the first page until the final chapter, the twist and turns was none stop, the fierceness of Yeeran, Lettle's determination and the beauty of the Obeah; are just some of the amazing things that captured me in this adult fantasy.
This book grabbed my attention from the start till the end. The plot races, with ongoing twists. Yearns strength, Lettles tenacity, and all the details had me hooked. I enjoyed all the world building, the well developed characters, and the whole story.
This is the beginning of what will be an amazing fantasy series.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing! I have fallen out of love with this genre lately as it all feels very much the same! This book however held my interest and had me wanting more and more. Brilliant world building and well developed characters and a little bit twisty at the end! I cannot wait for the second instalment!

This was so so so so so good. Every twist surprised me and the book just took me in so many directions I did not expect. The characters were great. Both sisters and even the man. The world was so intricate and captivating. I loved to learn about every rule and person in it. I also loved learning about the magic system. I don't really know what else to say. It was just so good. I cannot wait to read the sequel. Saara El-Arifi has officially become a must read author for me. She simply cannot miss.